taken from Kyle Wiltjer’s Facebook page
After Kyle Wiltjer committed to the Kentucky Wildcats last week, he joined fellow PF Anthony Davis in the Wildcat’s potential frontcourt. Even with the possible NBA defection of Enes Kanter, Kentucky’s 2011 front court seems to be in pretty good hands with Wiltjer, Davis, and Eloy Vargas. If Terrence Jones comes back for his sophomore season (which most basketball guru’s seem to think that he may), the frontcourt will be one of the nation’s best in 2011.
Other players like Adonis Thomas, LeBryan Nash, and Johnny O’Bryant have already eliminated Kentucky from their potential lists. It appears that Quincy Miller may end up being a Louisville Cardinal after this weekend. And that leaves players like Chane Behanan and DeAndre Daniels. Behanan is being courted by the Ville as well and since it was reported that Calipari told DeAndre Daniels there may not be room at UK if he did not re-classify into the 2010 class, you have to think that Calipari is pretty happy with his “bigs” in 2011. Off the record, I think that Behanan is not going to commit for a long time, so if there is another sport for a front court player, I would like to see Behanan grab it.
So, the recruiting focus now turns to the back court for a player to join Marquis Teague and Doron Lamb in 2011. This area will also have Darius Miller, Jon Hood, DeAndre Liggins, Stacey Poole, and possibly Brandon Knight taking up residence in 2011, so the backcourt is in pretty good shape, but if Knight does leave, there is always room to supplement the existing talent, especially with John Calipari’s DDMO in where he looks at players who are interchangeable at multiple positions.
Adding another PG is 2011 is a possibility, but the list has gotten sparse. Kentucky is still listed as a possibility for Ky Madden by rivals, but to be honest, have not heard his name mentioned in any recruiting conversations in maybe six months or so. Anthony Wroten is the great enigma and it is really hard to tell how much John Calipari is pursuing Wroten. As of now, it appears that Washington’s Lorenzo Romar has the upper hand in landing Wroten, whose dad is a Huskie alumni.
Granted, Doron Lamb could actually back up Teague so it appears that another PG may not be a high priority. This scenario would work really well if Brandon Knight does stay for his sophomore year as Teague could take over the point, and Knight can move to the two. Having Doron Lamb to back up both positions wcan give UK by far the top 1-2 tandem in the country with these players.
The name that is actually gaining a lot of momentum for Kentucky’s next 2011 recruit seems to be SG Trevor Lacey. Lacey is currently the 34th best player according to Rivals and is the seventh best SG in the 2011 class. At 6’3 and 190, he provides the type of size that Calipari likes in a guard and if you believe the recruiting buzz, he really likes Kentucky and appears to have an offer in hand. Lacey is from Alabama, so Kentucky has both Alabama and Auburn to compete with for Lacey’s services, along with Memphis and Tennessee. Lacey would be a very nice addition o the 2011 class and would make a nice 3-4 year player to provide some stability. Enough of what I think. Here is ESPN’s analysis:
"Strengths:Lacey is a basketball player who does a number of good things on the floor. He seems to always make the right play when not put in the position as the primary ball-handler. He never seems to hunt his own shot and always takes what the defense gives him. Over the course of his career he has shown his ability to knock down open and contested shots from the perimeter. Whether coming off screens, dribbling off ball-screens, or spotting up Lacey has a sof stroke with good range. Weaknesses:The one area Lacey seems to struggle is when he is the primary ball-handler for his team. He has good size and strength to protect the ball but lacks that second gear to get by his defender or get himself out of trouble. Although he has improved, he gets loose with the ball at times and struggles when the defense speeds him up. The other area will be how his foot speed allows him to guard his position at the next level. Because he is not a great athlete he will have to use his basketball IQ and strength to his advantage.Bottom Line:When you talk about this guy in the state of Alabama the one word that is echoed is “Winner”. He’s won two state championships and will have a great opportunity for a third. If he finds the right situation and fit for his game he could be a very good four year player who helps his school be very successful."
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